Madame Tussauds New York facts for kids

Madame Tussauds New York is a super cool place to visit in New York City. It's on 42nd Street. This famous museum is full of lifelike wax figures of celebrities, historical heroes, and even superheroes! It was started by a talented wax sculptor named Marie Tussaud. Today, a big entertainment company called Merlin Entertainments runs it. The New York museum first opened its doors on November 15, 2000.

The Story of Madame Tussauds

How It All Began

Marie Tussaud was born Marie Grosholtz in 1761 in France. Her mom worked for Dr. Philippe Curtius, who was a doctor really good at making wax models. Dr. Curtius taught young Marie everything he knew about wax sculpting.

In 1777, Marie made her very first wax sculpture of a famous writer named Voltaire. Soon after, she started making wax figures of important people during the French Revolution. These figures were sometimes shown in public parades. In 1794, Marie's teacher, Dr. Phillipe Curtius, passed away. Marie then inherited his whole collection of wax figures.

Marie married Francois Tussaud in 1795. Her show then became known as Madame Tussaud's. By 1835, Marie had settled down in Baker Street, London. There, she opened her own museum, Madame Tussaud's. This museum showed figures of famous people and historical characters. Important figures like Lord Nelson and Sir Walter Scott were added.

Some of the wax figures made by Marie Tussaud herself are still around today. The museum originally had about 400 different figures. Sadly, a fire in 1925 and bombs in 1941 damaged many of these older models. But the original molds survived! This meant the historical waxworks could be remade. You can see these in the museum's history exhibit. The oldest figure on display is "sleeping beauty" at Madame Tussauds London. In 1842, Marie Tussaud made a wax self-portrait. You can see this figure at several Madame Tussauds locations today. Marie Tussaud passed away peacefully on April 15, 1850.

In 1883, the London museum needed more space. Marie Tussaud's grandson, Joseph Randall, decided to build a new location. This new museum opened on July 14, 1884, and was a huge success.

Who Owns Madame Tussauds Today?

Today, Madame Tussauds museums around the world are owned by Merlin Entertainments. This company bought The Tussauds Group in May 2007.

Meet the Stars: Notable Wax Figures

Here is a list of some of the amazing wax figures you might see:

Images for kids

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  Madame Tussauds on 42nd Street in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City

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  (2021)